Fragrant Tea Olive

Producing an abundance of some of the most wonderfully fragrant flowers in existence, the Fragrant Tea Olive, Osmanthus fragrans, also called Sweet Olive, is an attractive large evergreen shrub or small tree that flowers on and off for up to 6 months out of the year! The flowers are tiny but boy do they pack a fragrant punch! All it takes is one Tea Olive to fill your front or backyard with a heavenly scent of sweet perfume. The scent is really indescribable. No other fragrant plant we know of smells like the Tea Olive. It's just one of those things you have to experience for yourself. The flowers are produced in both spring and fall and during the winter whenever nighttime temperatures are between about 45 to 65 degrees. In our gardens here in north-central Georgia, the White Tea Olives blooms off and one for about 6 months out of the year, depending on the weather.
Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub or Small Tree
Height at Maturity: 10-15'
Width at Maturity: 6-8'
Spacing: 5-6' for solid hedges; 12' or more for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Rounded
Growth Rate: Moderate, Fast
Flower Color: White
Flower Size: Tiny, 1/8"
Flowering Period: Spring, Fall, Winter
Flower Type: Single, in clusters
Fragrant Flowers: Yes, extremely fragrant!
Foliage Color: Dark Green, Orange to Red new leaves
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: No
Berry Color: NA
Sun Needs: Full to Mostly Sun, Morning Sun With Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Afternoon Sun
Water Needs: Average, Very Low when established
Soil Type: Clay (Amended), Loam, Sandy, Silty
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist to Dry when established
Soil pH: 5.5 - 6.5 (Acid to Slightly Acid)
Maintenance / Care: Average to Low
Attracts: Visual Attention
Resistances: Deer, Disease, Drought, Dry Soil, Heat, Insect